iSuppli: iPhone 4 parts cost $187.51
Filed under: iPhone iSuppli has done its usual thing with the16GB iPhone 4 ‘s components, calculating the raw cost of each of them , and the total comes to: US$187.51. The most expensive thing in the phone is the retina display screen, which is supposedly running Apple $28.50 per unit. The A4 processor adds $10.75 to the unit price, and the gyroscope adds $2.60, as compared to the accelerometer’s estimated 65 cent cost. You may remember that the iPhone 3GS was estimated to cost $179 last year at release — the price on those components has dropped to $134, even though the phone itself is being sold at $99 (but Apple is probably just selling off inventory — an unsold phone isn’t worth anything to them). The 3GS was also $199 at launch, which means that Apple is making $10 less per phone with the iPhone 4, but maybe they’re making up the costs elsewhere, maybe in advertising or R&D. Of course, these are all estimates — there are all sorts of other factors going into this cost equation, both internally at Apple and in the manufacturing industry
Amazon’s Kindle app adds video, audio support
Filed under: iPhone , App Store I’ve just recently started making the transition to ebook reading with my iPhone’s Kindle app — after a little hesitance about reading a screen rather than ink on paper, I’ve gotten used to the form, and really appreciate the convenience of always having my reading with me (and the free ebooks help too — I definitely recommend His Majesty’s Dragon ). The Kindle app is seeing some good support from Amazon, too — the most recent update not only enables the Retina Display on the iPhone 4 , but adds both video and audio to the offerings in certain titles. If the books are created for a “Kindle Edition with Audio/Video,” you’ll be able to play other media right next to the text in the app. Of course, the actual Kindle can’t play this media, which probably means a few things
WWDC 2010: iZen Garden for iPad
Filed under: iPad Last week at WWDC , we met up with Jive DeVoe — he’s the developer behind the iZen Garden app for the iPhone, iPod touch, and, just recently, the iPad . The app purports to be a zen garden simulation, and it works as exactly that — you can rake patterns in the sand, or put over 130 objects like stones, plants, or leaves on the ground and resize them as you like. In fact, everything in this app is “as you like.” Rather than a directed experience, DeVoe called it a “coffee table app” — something that you lay out on a coffee table, either with others or just on your own, and experiment with at whatever pace strikes you as right. He’s added some features over time — one of the most requested was a meditation timer, and so the iPad app comes with an option for background noise, as well as a timer that will stop or even put the iPad to sleep whenever you want
TUAW’s Daily App: Darkroom Pro
Filed under: iPhone I’ve been a fan of the Darkroom app for the iPhone almost since the beginning, only because it contained a bit of functionality I think that should have been included in the device from the start: a steady mode. The original Darkroom offered up a steady-shot mode that let you press a shutter button at any time, but then waited to actually take a picture until the iPhone’s accelerometer told it that the phone was steady in place. The iPhone’s camera has gotten better over the years, but especially in low-light situations, making sure the camera is steady is reason enough to use this app. And newer versions (after a short buggy delay right around iPhone OS 3.0) have added even more functionality, including a fullscreen shutter mode (no toolbar, just press anywhere on the screen to shoot a picture) and a timer mode as well. They’ve also added an online photo album into the app using StepCase’s official service (which I’ve never used), but you can also just funnel pictures into your normal camera album if you’d rather upload them somewhere else.
TUAW at Big Nerd Ranch: now taking (app) requests!
Filed under: Developer , iPhone More coverage of TUAW’s inside look at developer boot camp . See below for notes & disclaimer. It’s Wednesday at Big Nerd Ranch . I’ll get to meet a few of the personalities behind the ranch today, as well as meet up with some blogger friends from Atlanta. Victor is even going to stop by … it’s like visitor’s day, except without the rehab or prison part. We’re well into learning to make use of the unique features of the iPhone SDK now.
Mac Pro users reporting performance hit linked to audio use
Filed under: Mac Pro Nehalem-based Mac Pro users are reporting in Apple’s discussion forums and other locations that some audio tasks are causing performance issues. There is up to a 20% drop in performance while doing tasks as simple as listening to music in iTunes. Other users are saying there are similar issues when utilizing Logic and Flash. The issues are also causing internal temperatures to skyrocket. One forum user showed how playing a 4-minute track in iTunes caused the internal temperature of his Mac Pro to increase by 11 degrees.
Apple ten years on
Filed under: Hardware , Odds and ends , Internet , Apple This is a pretty wandering post over at the NZ Herald (it starts out with a screening of Avatar, and drops a few local actor names before getting down to business), but it eventually gets to an interesting premise: what will Apple’s hardware look like not in 2010, when we’re all breathlessly awaiting the tablet, but in 2020, ten years from now? Of course we’re talking about complete speculation here — not even Apple knows what they’ll be doing in ten years. But it’s not like we haven’t done it before : Apple’s devices are smaller, faster, and more powerful than ever. What will they be like ten years down the line? More gesturing and intuitive human interfaces seem like a good guess — with the iPhone, the accelerometer has been used in all sorts of interesting ways, and it’s probably not far until Apple figures out a way to track movement in 3D space, either by moving an iPhone or a controller around, or as the piece suggests, by tracking our body in some way
Apple patents recap, universal docks, iPod motion controls and more
Filed under: Rumors , Apple Over the past few days, several patent applications by Apple have been unearthed — here’s a recap. Universal Dock Apple flied a patent for a more “universal” dock for iPods and iPhones. This dock would be made of an elastic, sponge-like material, and would conform to any shape, instead of having to find a dock adapter. Silly putty
Mirror’s Edge for iPhone trailer
Filed under: Gaming , Software , Odds and ends , iPhone , App Store , iPod touch EA has released a trailer for the iPhone version of Mirror’s Edge , and I have to say, it’s looking good. As we surmised earlier, it’s not the same first person gameplay as the console title, but instead it looks like the same running, jumping and sliding heroine has been translated onto the small screen with a nice amount of polish and flair. The Canabalt comparison continues as well (tell me you didn’t see the birds flock up and think of that one), but you can see that there’s also some enemies to take on, and I’d presume there’s some accelerometer-based gameplay in the balancing act seen in there. Looks good to me — no price or date yet for the release, but I’d imagine it’s just around the corner.
Apple introduces iPhone developer RSS news feed, takes time off from iTunes Connect
Filed under: Internet , iPhone , App Store , SDK , iPod touch Late yesterday, Apple introduced a RSS feed for news from the App Store Resource Center, which was introduced a few months ago, and gives iPhone developers news about what’s going on with the App Store for developers. Apple promises to deliver current turnaround time for app reviews (kind of a hot topic ), program updates, development and testing techniques, and much more. Add it to your reader of choice. In related news, iTunes Connect will be unavailable from December 23rd to December 28th. You’ll remember that Apple did the same thing last year . You’ll won’t be able to access anything in iTunes Connect in that time, which includes, sales reports, app submission, generating promo codes and more. Hey, even geeks need a holiday break, right
